Red Dead Redemption: Origins of the Myth and history of the "Far West"

Every story has a beginning, and that of Red Dead Redemption (published in 2010 da Rockstar Games on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) actually has much older roots than you might think. Every time you ordered your horse to slow down to enjoy a fiery sunset from a peak, every night you spent by the fire, as icy stars lit the path, every bullet fired, hit or miss ... Everything began at dawn on early nineteenth century, from 1801 to 1900. In that period, the legend of the Far West was written on fire in the immense book of history concerning our civilization. Without that period, none of this would have ever existed. Not even Red Dead Redemption.

HISTORY OF THE FAR WEST

It all began, as we said, at the dawn of the nineteenth century, in a vast area of ​​North America between Rocky Mountains (known as the Rocky Mountains or, more simply, "Rockies") and the west-facing embankment of Mississippi. In this point of the planet, dotted with deserts, canyons and "gulches" (narrow and decidedly rugged rocky valleys) were founded states known today with the names of Arizona, California, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon and Washington (among others) .

The West ("West") was first of all, in the American imagination, an ideal. A frontier land to explore, where the feeling of being free could be breathed from the first light of dawn to the last light of dusk that anticipated the night. It was also considered a land of conquest, sweaty, difficult to tame due to adverse environmental conditions, where willpower had prevailed over nature, considered an enemy, wild. Over the years, explorers, bandits, criminals, sheriffs, soldiers and (obviously) cowboys have written the history of this part of the planet, giving life to the legendary "Far West" that many love to "relive", whether in the form of films or videogames doesn't matter.

Among all of them, i Native Americans. Populations that inhabited the continent even before the European colonization. Also known as "American Indians" due to the historic error of Christopher Columbus who (at least so it seems) in his voyage aimed at landing on the coasts of India, unwittingly, discovered America. To think that the various tribes did not even consider themselves members of a single community at the time. The expression "red indians“, In most cases used in a derogatory way, indicates the North American indigenous peoples and refers to the color of the skin of Native Americans. Probably, it all stems from the ancient custom of the latter of dyeing their skin with red ocher before going into battle.

Not to go too far, we will only tell you that when the Western peoples decided to invade the West, it was the end for the Native Americans. They were systematically exterminated in violent clashes which, on rare occasions, saw the natives prevail, such as the battle of Little Bighorn, where is the General Custer lost his life at the hands of Crazy Horse.

The "myth" of the Cowboys instead it arises from the need of the first conquerors, especially after particularly furious clashes, to give order and keep the immense herds of cattle at bay. In doing their (unexciting) job, the Cowboys felt the need to sing songs to keep their spirits up; in this way the first melodies were born which, later on, gave life to the musical genre "Country". As time passed the ranches took over the vast expanses of boundless grass and, little by little, the Cowboys lost their jobs.

In movies and video games (and also in comics) we are used to seeing the Cowboys as lone heroes who roam the vast expanses of the West in perennial war against the Outlaw. The truth is that Cowboys and Bounty hunters they had very little in common, and the latter could thrive for quite some time thanks to a somewhat questionable use of "do-it-yourself justice". Among the historically known outlaws are Jesse James (About 1870) and Billy the Kid, later killed by the sheriff Pat Garrett.

RED DEAD REVOLVER

(From here on SPOILER ALARM. Continue at your own risk. We have warned you!)

Few still know, but Red Dead Redemption it was not Rockstar Games' first attempt to tell the Far West in pixels and polygons. In fact, in the 2002, from a project initially developed and then abandoned by Capcom, the boys of Rockstar North gave birth to Red Dead Revolver, prequel of the events narrated in the most famous "Redemption".

You have surely wondered many times: "What the hell does the title mean“? Whether it is Red Dead Revolver or Red Dead Redemption, we are in fact facing a "sentence" which, in fact, translated into Spanish means absolutely nothing. We could translate everything with "Revolver Rosso Morte", or: "Revolver: Rosso Morte", or, in the case of Red Dead Redemption, we could try with "Redemption Red Death" or "Redemption of the Red Death", but you will agree that all sounds downright bad. Suffice it to say that the "Red"Of the title is linked to protagonist of Red Dead Revolver.

The title was set in 1876, in the heart of the infamous "Gold Rush" ("Gold rush"). The protagonist, a little boy named Red, witnesses the death of his parents on behalf of a villain known as Javier Diego, a treacherous colonel. Having grown up, Red becomes a bounty hunter and runs into not only Diego (whom he obviously kills) but also Griffon, a former partner of his father who betrayed him and his entire family. Now with no way out, Griffon tries to bribe Red to save his life, but he hears the protagonist answer: "It's not for the money that I did it", and he dies. Some Red Dead Revolver characters, such as Red's mother, known as the “Shooting Star”, are featured in Red Dead Redemption's online multiplayer mode.

RED DEAD REDEMPTION

 

Developed by Rockstar san diego and published by Rockstar Games in 2010 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox One, Red Dead Redemption is, to put it briefly, “a Grand Theft Auto set in the Far West”, with all the positive meanings of the case.

Red Dead Redemption was set in 1911 between the frontier of United States and Mexico. From the intro, it is clear that the expansionist aims of the American government are starting to gain the upper hand over the wilderness of the "Old West", thanks to the advent of the industrial revolution. Like veins carrying sick blood, cold railways began to "draw themselves" on the territory, sowing death and destruction among the Native American tribes. As pointed out by the developers themselves, in RDR the "Far West" was already dying, like a prey that takes its last breath, before closing its eyes forever.

In the sun-scorched lands of the New Austin, West Alizabeth and Nuevo Paraiso (states with fictitious names, but clearly traceable to their real counterparts, such as Mexico) the story of John Marston has been told, and a legend has been burned into the story of the virtual Wild West.

JOHN MARSTON

“People don't forget. Nothing is forgiven. "

John Marston, protagonist of Red Dead Redemption, was born in 1873 by a Scottish immigrant (whom Scotland never got to see) and a prostitute. Orphaned at the age of eight, he spends his childhood years in an orphanage.

His life changes when he decides to escape from that harsh and unbearable environment joining a gang. The man in charge of the latter? Dutch van der Linde. More crazy than charismatic (or vice versa, you do), Dutch teaches John to read and use weapons. Other gang members are Bill Williamson, Javier Escuella e Abigail marston, wife of John.

In the course of the adventure, John will stress several times to his interlocutors how the gang, however perfidious it may seem in the eyes of good people, actually acted. according to specific ideals and respecting certain values, wanting to improve the lives of the poor by robbing the rich.

In 1908 a robbery goes wrong, John gets hit and his gang abandons him to his fate. Survivor, he will be forced by two federal agents (Edgar Ross and Archer Fordham) to capturing Bill Williamson and Javier Escuella.

“Nothing is forgiven,” says John Marston during the unfolding of events. Never a sentence turned out to be truer (unfortunately for him): when everything seemed to have settled down, poor John was brutally killed by a hail of bullets in one last, exciting firefight against the same agents who, by kidnapping his wife, had forced him to collaborate. After a sad sequence, players take on the role of John's son, Jack Marston. But Red Dead Redemption ends exactly at that moment, which is why, when Red Dead Redemption 2 was announced, many hoped to be able to impersonate Jack, seeking a ferocious revenge.

RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2

The title is coming up on 26 October (when you read these lines there will be less than 24 hours to go to the highly anticipated debut) you will already know everything. From incredible attention to detail to a vast game world and (it seems) so alive that you can't believe it. Of the usual mountain of secondary missions to be completed, in perfect Rockstar style, to the attention in the reproduction of the behavior of the horses' testicles (and no, it's not a joke ...). Most importantly, of Red Dead Redemption 2 you will know by now that Jack Marston has absolutely nothing to do with it. In this third installment of the series we will play the role of Arthur Morgan, one of the members of the dreaded van der Linde gang, where we will be able to observe, from the outside, a younger Jack Martson. a prequel, therefore, but also a title expressly designed to make the most of the power of current consoles - PlayStation 4 and Xbox One - thanks to one development that has been going on for about 6 years now. But it's not the years now that separate us from Red Dead Redemption 2. Not even weeks. Not even days. Only hours, a few hours, and the videogame history could be turned upside down again by a software house founded in 1998 in New York by Take Two Interactive, which does not seem to want to stop producing masterpieces.

Only one night separates us from the dawn of October 26th. Tie your horse to the nearest tree, sit by the fire with us and lose yourself in the vast expanses of the starry skies of the Wild West. Dream, do it without brakes. Red Dead Redemption 2 may be beyond your imagination. We'll find out soon, gringos!